Clive Carter and the Emotion Enigma
by tmizzy2125
Summary: Clive has found his way out of jail and into our beloved gang of puzzle solvers, but when he saves the life of a strange girl with a powerful name and some curious 'pets', will he learn to embrace his inner child and forget his horrid past? T just in case
1. Out of the Jail House

**This is my first Professor Layton Fanfic, so sorry if it's bad!**

**I own nothing but the story line (unfortunately)

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**Clive's POV**

My eyes quickly scanned the room. No one else was here except the lady at the waiting room's counter. She kept glancing at me, like she was scared to actually _look_. I felt terrible, yes, but as if I was only some spectacle. I felt like I was just something for people to look at and say 'hey look, there's the boy who almost destroyed London!' When I meet someone, I don't hear 'Hi' or 'Good morning', I hear 'You're that criminal boy aren't you?' Yes, it does bug me, but it's not like I meet someone new too often in jail.

Layton came walking through the door, along with the judge who had given me my sentence. He smiled at me, but left the judge to explain how everything went. Things had to have gone well. I've been a perfect gentleman, even in jail.

"You are released under special circumstances, Mr. Dove," the judge said, "However, you remain under the supervision of Professor Hershel Layton until further notice, and should you commit any crime, Hershel will be at fault along with you."

I was stunned. Layton was putting a considerable amount of trust in me for someone who tried to kill him. Should I act up again, Layton gets the same sentence I get.

Besides being shocked, I was irritated that the judge had used my adopted name. I hated being called Clive Dove. I always preferred using my real parents' surname, Carter. Constance had allowed me to keep that surname, using Carter for everything that required my full name, including my schooling and visits to the doctor. Until she passed away, I was exactly who I wanted to be, even if I was insane.

I stood and walked silently to Layton's car. Not a word was exchanged. I was certainly grateful he had gotten me out of that jail cell, but hadn't the slightest clue on how to put it into words.

We drove off, the only sound in the vehicle being the purr of the engine. I found it hard to even look in the man's direction. It was an odd sensation I never really felt before, like I was disappointed in myself for letting the Professor down.

"Clive," Layton said, barely more audible than a whisper, "I'm not angry with you."

It was heartrending to hear Layton say that. I never would have thought he was angry, just…

But I really didn't know what I thought.

"I… I know," I managed, my voice wavering, "Professor… Thank you."

I could see his eyes in the rear view mirror, and for the moment that I could see him, and he could see me, we both understood each other. Both of us were still bearing the scars of having lost a loved one, and both were still unsure of exactly how to forget the sadness.

I also realized in that moment, not the two lonely months in jail, that I had nothing left. Nothing besides a lot of cash and Layton. Yes, I realize two months is a very, _very_ short time in jail to be complaining about, but it was hard not to go crazy again.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out, my voice still uneven. The Professor gave me a perplexed look through the mirror but left me to explain.

"I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry I led you along. I'm sorry I kidnapped Flora. I'm sorry that I almost killed you, that I almost killed everyone in London, and most of all, that I forgot that you went through the same thing I went through," I said quickly.

Layton's face was blank, emotionless.

"What's in the past is in the past," he said. I could tell from his voice that he was remembering Claire. Perhaps even recalling the day everything went wrong, the day he saved my life for the first time.

The rest of the ride was silent. I still didn't have the back-bone to look in Layton's direction, so I was thankful that I had sat in the back of the Layton mobile.

Layton's house wasn't large, but it was big enough. Out of the hustle and bustle of the city, Layton's house sat backed by some trees and a midsized pond with a sizable amount of land around it, big enough for a family.

I silently got out of the car and followed Layton into the house. It was a cozy place, with comfortable furniture and tasteful art hanging on the walls. A fine wooden bookshelf lined one wall in the living room, stuffed with books of all colors and sizes. A half wall separated the kitchen from the living room.

Flora sat at a small round table in the kitchen. She ran forward to hug Layton when he walked in, smiling. She was dressed in an orange sundress with boots. She also had on a cooking apron splattered with flour and… egg? Butter? I really couldn't tell.

Then, her eyes found me. She let go of Layton and stared me down. I simply cocked one eyebrow and followed Layton, who was walking down the hall at this point. I don't believe her face could possibly get any redder than it was.

"This will be your room," Layton said. The sign on the door said 'guest room'. I suppose I was a guest.

The room was a calming green with a view of the pond out the window. It looked like the room I had always wanted. There were two beds in the room. I guess after Luke and Flora started to stay here, Layton wanted to make sure he had enough room for guests.

"All of your belongings are already in here," Layton said. He smiled and started to leave, then paused.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes." And with that, he walked out the door and closed it. I checked the dresser. Indeed, everything was there, but something was still missing. I removed my backpack and set it on the bed closest to the window. I rummaged through it until I found what I was looking for, an invitation to the upcoming Dove ball. It's held every year in honor of my adoptive mother's grandmother, Delilah Dove. It's an invitation only ball for the wealthiest and most prestigious families or individuals. Constance insisted that I not go while I was younger, as she was much too elderly to take me and she wouldn't stand for me going by myself. But now I'm fifteen, and Constance isn't around anymore.

It was planned for tomorrow night. I figured, what better way to remember Constance? Sure, I didn't exactly love her like my parents, but I was always grateful for having her. Never did I take her for granted, and that, I believe, is why it stunned me so much when she died. I didn't care about the money. I never cared about the money. It was simply a bonus.

Then I spotted something else in my bag that I hadn't really seen in a long time. A brown leather belt with six pokeballs clipped onto it sat at the bottom of my bag. I remembered it distinctly, along with the Pokémon inside.

I zippered my backpack and stuffed it in a drawer. I don't have time for those little kid games anymore. Pokémon was nothing but a dream, and this is the real world now. I thought I had learned that in jail.

I plopped in bed and stared at the ceiling. Five minutes passed before I made my way back into the kitchen.

I sat down at the table along with Layton. Flora practically dropped three plates on the table filled with slop.

"I made it myself!" Flora said proudly. The Professor didn't look too happy about his meal either. I took that as I have to eat this and pretend to enjoy it. As I'm sure the professor would say, a gentleman never acts ungrateful for a meal. Besides, the more Flora likes me, the less of a chance I have of waking up in the pond.

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**I hope you enjoyed it! :D Clive says to review or he won't tell you any more of his story!**


	2. Into the Ball Room

Chapter 2

A bright beam of light glowed through the window, waking me up with their brilliant warmth. Much too cheery for jail, I thought, but then I remembered I wasn't in jail. I was in Layton's house. My eyes fluttered open. The green glowed in the sunlight, making me feel as though I was inside a leaf's chloroplast. For those of you who don't know what a chloroplast is, well, good luck on Google.

I jumped up and threw on my clothes; a simple black blazer over a black shirt and dark blue jeans.

I sprinted down the hall but stopped dead about halfway there. A terrible smell was coming from the area up ahead. It smelled like burnt cheese and anchovies, two smells that definitely do not go together. I inched my way into the kitchen, pinching my nose the whole way through. Flora and Layton sat at the table eating something that looked like it very well could have been cheese and anchovies.

I sat down without a word and started choking down the food on the plate they had set out for me. Flora was eyeing me closely, making sure I ate all of my food. When I finally had the last bit down, she softened her gaze.

Layton and Flora took me out shopping. I didn't have many things left beside my backpack of possessions and the outfit I was currently wearing was the only one I had. We bought several outfits (some of them being for Flora) and we all bought nice dressy clothes for the ball tonight. Layton and Flora were excited to be invited.

Soon it came time for the party. I had a classy suit on. Flora wore a formal (and fairly sparkly) dress in a calming blue tone. The professor dressed up in a nice brown suit with his top hat of course. When seven o'clock rolled around we set out for the ball room.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Flora said dreamily when we entered the ball room. The walls were painted a pale yellow with gold and white decorations to accent it. The floor shimmered gold, too. When you entered, you found yourself at the top almost balcony like portion of the ball room, with two staircases on either side for you to walk down. As it was invitation only, I handed over my copy and walked in without a word.

"It's so… classy," the professor said. I could tell from his voice that despite the compliment, his famous intuition was telling him something wasn't quite right. I must admit I felt the slightest premonition too, but waved it off as nothing. I wasn't going to let a little sixth-sense get me down.

I looked a Flora and Layton. They seemed so happy just to be here.

"I'm going to walk around for a while," I said.

"Okay," Layton replied and headed straight for the refreshments table. The main reason teens ever come to the ball was to meet other rich teens who won't mooch off your money because they have their own. It's the teens' way of meeting a possible new boyfriends or girlfriends, but with a bit of class thrown in. The girls like it because it's like the fairytales they read as little kids. The guys like it because… well, there are girls there.

I poured myself some punch and leaned against the wall. I didn't plan on finding a date, but at a ball you simply cannot dance by yourself. It looks ridiculous. Any of the girls (and a few of the guys) that did come over were terrified of me. I guess a month later and people still remember that you're a bad guy.

I closed my eyes and imagined what this would be like had I not gone crazy. I certainly wouldn't be here with Layton, that's for sure. I might not even be here at all. Spring and Cog never liked balls and probably wouldn't have allowed me to go alone. Then again, maybe I would just be a different kind of crazy, just bottling it up and…

"Hello?"

"Ah!" I yelled. My eyes immediately opened. I was breathing heavily and my heart beat furiously. A girl slightly shorter than me stood staring at me like I was some sort of lunatic. She had dark brown hair and bright, but soft, blue eyes. She was dressed in a ball gown shining bright silver, despite all the gold around.

"Who are you?" I asked, fairly taken aback. She looked a little nervous, which struck me as unusual. Why would she be nervous about telling me who she is?

"My name is Joy," She stated simply, "and who, exactly, are you?"

Oh, goody. A girl shows an inkling off interest in me and I have to tell her I'm the boy that almost killed the entire city of London.

"Clive… Carter. Clive Carter, nice to meet you," I said holding out my hand to shake hers. She giggled and shook my hand. I figured everyone knows me as Clive Dove the boy who almost destroyed London. Next to no one know Clive Carter.

"Care to dance?" I said holding out my hand. She gave me a funny look, but took my hand nonetheless. Her walking was a little uneven, as though she wasn't used to wearing high heels.

"So you must be rich or really important if you're here," I said, trying to make some sort of conversation.

"Yeah," she said, "My dad's pretty big where I come from. He's sorta… famous."

For the first time I noticed her accent, an American one if I wasn't mistaken. It was sort of… cute…

We went on talking for a few minutes. I learned that she had an older brother everyone calls 'Thunder', that her mom left her dad when she was four, that she loves the band The Killers, and that she is top of her class in academics, but fails ("epically") in gym class ("I don't know how, I've been in gymnastics since I was five!")

"I'll be right back, I wanna grab some punch," she said, softly smiling at me. I let her hand slip through my hand as she left. The refreshments table wasn't that far away.

Everything went dark. All I could hear was a scream.

**Hope you liked it (again) Clive told Flora to tell Layton to tell the door guard to tell Joy to tell me that if you don't review he's going to… act silly dis toy long run dis tie… hmm… that MAY have gotten a little messed up during the passing along of the message… I wonder what he really said? (I'm seeing a Mad Gab moment here)**


	3. Zero to Hero to Zero

Chapter 3 (finally)

I spun around desperately, hoping for some inkling of light with which I could see. The darkness pressed against my eyes and the feeling of helplessness surged inside me. _That scream_, I thought, _I recognize that scream._

I ran forward arms outstretched. _Where is she? _That was the only thought crossing my adrenaline fueled mind.

Suddenly, and quite surprisingly, I felt the familiar touch of a delicate hand on my wrist, squeezing hard as though imploring for help.

Following her arm, I wrapped my arms around her and felt her arms on my back. I also felt her being pulled away.

The familiar smell of the rose perfumed ball room surrounded me, but suddenly a new scent permeated the air. It smelled sort of like… like… smoke or ashes. The scent quickly became so strong that several people, including myself, began coughing and almost choking on the hostile aroma.

Whoever or _whatever _it was that had their hands on her I punched and kicked at until their hands slipped away.

The lights flickered back on, the smoky odor still wafting about. I looked down slightly and saw the dark brown haired girl, who had her head on my shoulder. Her hair smelled faintly of strawberries, and it glistened. One odd thing became apparent, however. There were bits of ash stuck in her hair.

"Joy?" I whispered, my voice wavering.

She looked up at me. I could tell a few tears had left trails down her cheeks. She smiled, gave me one last bear-hug, and let go.

A man taller than me, but not by a lot, was walking in her direction. While his hair was purely blond, I could see he at least shared the trait of piercing blue eyes with his daughter. Shoot, I spoiled the surprise, didn't I? Well, yes, Joy's Dad did just so happen to be at the party. He also just so happened to spot his daughter snuggled up in my arms. Two words: not good.

"Bye," she said in a delicate voice. Her father put his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," he said in monotone. He nodded his head and began leading joy toward the door.

"Will I ever see you again?" I blurted out, loudly if you really _must_ have an adverb.

They both stopped and looked at me. Joy smiled, amused, and said, "Maybe."

Then they were gone.

"Give it time," Layton said from behind.

I felt his hand on shoulder. I turned my head to see him. He smiled, and though I was thoroughly dejected, I couldn't help but smile back.

_Clive's Journal:_

_Well, isn't this just great? Nothing says thanks for saving my daughter like a monotone 'thanks' and a death stare. Am I overreacting? Nah, definitely not. Can life get any tougher for me? Sure, why not! I mean, why shouldn't fate drive away who is probably the only girl who's willing to talk to a guy who attempted to level London? At least I'll always have… wait, what do I have again? _

_Confused & Dejected,_

_Clive_

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long! Downside: the few people who read this have waited for an update for forever! The upside: My writing skills & vocabulary have greatly improved (I think.) Well, hope you enjoyed!**


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